The vase shattered against the wall into hundreds of shards of crystal glistening the reflections of the tears uncried. “Why?!” screamed a voice spent. The grief betrayed the anguish. “I don’t know,” a sonorous voice replied, “It wasn’t as if I chose this, its not as if I chose any of this. But that doesn’t change anything does it.” “You’ve come back from your double life for the last time, its not fair for me to think of all the ways you could be betraying me.” “You know I have no choice,” he bent down to gather the crystals, staring at his pregnant wife, “but you know I got you out of there before, with little harm to you or our baby. Its hard but you just have to trust me.”

He looked at her for the first time in a month, cursing himself for having to leave her by herself. Her whole countenance was changing, things must be incredibly difficult here. A defeated plea escaped her lips. “After the baby is born, I’m putting him up for adoption.” She looked for approval, knowing she wouldn’t find it. He is aging just as rapidly as I am she thought. I wonder if it is because of me, if I’m draining him the same way I’m draining myself. Like I worry I’ll drain this new life inside me, if I haven’t already.

His gaze met hers, and he nodded, “Its probably wise, but I still don’t have to like it. I love you, that is why I go away, you know that. To keep you safe and out of a spotlight that would drain you faster than both of us.”

So he knew, but he wasn’t running away. I’m a monster, she sighed to herself, who does this to people they love? She hung her head in shame, but he put his hand under her chin and lifted it up to meet his eyes. “I’m not running away, and I will never leave you to wither away by yourself, my strength is mine to give and I give it freely to you.” “I understand” she lowered her head again, “but that makes it no easier” “I know.” The door closed, not to open for another month, she picked up the vase and put it back on the table where it had been before.

She began to tell his skin to reverse his age, it was a dangerous process and he had never approved. She did it nonetheless, the mirror in the corner revealed the aging she was inflicting upon herself. Who could justify doing this? As long as he didn’t reject the act like he had so long ago, they could have remained young for as long as their bond lasted. The damage was done, the bond irrefutably damaged, and too many curious eyes were peering in at them, never giving them enough time to fix the gap. Heaven knows most of the time they were by themselves, they fought anyway. He had long ago accepted her stubbornness, and let her make him more youthful, the consequences were damning and helped no one.

After the process was done, she fainted as she so often did now.

He felt the change, cursing the efforts, but not daring to refuse them. The effect was short lived, but the vitality was inebriating. She knew what she was doing, she had told him so long ago, but lately she was so aged that he wondered if she could accept the fact that they weren’t as young as they used to be. But they were never young. Both of them had seen and done too much by the time they had first met. The wheels of change were in motion and nobody could really stop any of the acts. They could only defend what little there was left of themselves.

There was a time when he would have left everything in this convoluted world for her. Time did not allow it, would have struck them both with lightning, except they were too precious for this cause. To not be in charge of your fate, what a terrible way to live. Living. That had seemed to end the day the bond broke, but too much was behind it, too much was being done now after the accident.

They were happy so long ago. Before fate had turned against them. He remembered a day a long time ago when they were just silly lovers. Out and about dancing and just playing. That play must have been the reason for all of the work now. He smiled as he remembered the first time they went dancing, after they ate hotdogs from a street vendor. She giggled as she swallowed the questionable food. She giggled. That seemed like a different life. As long as he had his memories, and as long as they had a future he could still do this. Hell could only last so long, couldn’t it?